Tag: welcoming week 2018

After a week of incredible events, we are again in awe of this community. We are beyond grateful to the families who have recently settled in Missoula, and the light, joy, and culture they share with us. We want to take time to thank everyone in the community who made this week such a success.

Thank you to:

• The Missoula community at large for attending these events and being so kind and welcoming. It was so fun to see both new and familiar faces throughout the week.

• Imagine Nation Brewing for being an outstanding partner, hosting THREE events, and for brewing us our very own “Together” beer!

• Arts Missoula for working hard to make Missoula an informed and culturally aware community and for hosting a powerful movie night at the Roxy theatre as well as a discussion on improving our sister city partnerships.

• Liquid Planet for sponsoring the Eritrean coffee ceremony. We were able to raise $550 that went directly to the women performing the ceremony!

• Father Rob and everyone at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church for being so welcoming to all of our Eritrean families and sharing their church with us.

• Missoula Alliance Church for being so supportive of all the Congolese families in Missoula and providing a delicious meal after the Congo vs Eritrea soccer match.

• The International Rescue Committee of Missoula for all they do for folks seeking safety for their families, and for hosting a very successful advocacy day.

• The Top Hat for hosting our Taste of The Middle East supper club. What a success! A special thank you to the marketing department, the chefs for opening up their kitchen, and the waitstaff for making the night run so smoothly.

• The Jeanette Rankin Peace Center for hosting a great book club, and spreading peace and understanding around Missoula.

• Sushi Hana for continuously supporting Soft Landing, this time by sharing their ad time with us to promote Welcoming Week and get the word out!

• Everyone who worked to make the launching of our “Together” campaign a success, especially Gecko Designs for printing the banners, Jenn Prinzing at Social Club 406 for designing the Together campaign, Sushi Hana for sponsoring the banners, and all of you who have supported SLM thus far by purchasing your TOGETHER gear.

• And of course, to all of the Syrian, Iraqi, Eritrean, and Congolese families who shared little bits of their culture with all of us this past week.

Welcoming Week is one of our favorite weeks of the year; how could it not be when we have this many community members coming together to celebrate each other!? Check out some of the highlights from the week below:

Join Soft Landing Missoula and Imagine Nation Brewing for Missoula’s second annual Welcoming Week. In tandem with thousands of other organizations and communities nationwide, Soft Landing hopes to inspire and celebrate welcoming all people to the Missoula community. Together with partners, including the International Rescue Committee, The Top Hat, the Roxy Theater, the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center, ARTS Missoula, & more, we invite you to this weeklong cultural celebration!

• Welcoming Week kick-off party: 

  • Friday, September 14th, 5:30 pm @ Imagine Nation Brewing

  • Help us kick off Welcoming Week 2018 with a celebration at Imagine Nation Brewing! Bring your friends and sip on the limited edition TOGETHER Global Pale Ale, brewed exclusively for Soft Landing Missoula, while partaking in a global trivia game. Save room for shawarma and falafel from the incredibly talented Ammar Omar of Kamoon Arabian Cuisine.

• A Taste of the Middle East- Soft Landing’s September Supper Club:

  • Sunday, September 16th; Pre-sale ticketed event @ the Top Hat

  • September’s Supper Club will feature the savory flavors of the Middle East, with four refugee chefs partnering to create a menu that you won’t want to miss. A three course family-style dinner featuring food from Iraq and Syria will be served alongside your favorite beverages, including Imagine Nation Brewing’s limited edition TOGETHER Global Pale Ale, brewed exclusively for Soft Landing Missoula. Join us to eat, drink, and celebrate with our incredible neighbors- new and old!

  • Purchase your ticket here. Check out the Facebook event here!

• Film screening “War/Dance”:

  • Monday, September 17th, 7:00 pm @ The Roxy

  • Global and Cultural Affairs of Arts Missoula, in collaboration with the Roxy Community Theater, Soft Landing and the International Rescue Committee invite you to the opening premiere of a new global film series titled: World View – Cultures in Motion. Set in Northern Uganda, WAR/DANCE tells the story of three children whose families have been torn apart, their homes destroyed, and who currently reside in a
    refugee camp in Patongo.

• “I am Malala” all ages book discussion and reception:

  • Tuesday, September 18th, 5:30 pm @ Jeanette Rankin Peace Center

  • Join the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center for a discussion about “I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai, followed a Q+A session with Maria Chaudhary surrounding the stereotypes and generalizations that are made about a person’s country and navigating the issue of cultural sensitivity. Drinks and small bites provided, teens and adults welcome!

• Welcoming new ideas for sister city exchange- strategic city partnerships:

  • Tuesday, September 18th, 6:00 pm @ Imagine Nation Brewing

  • Interested in learning more about our sister cities or being involved in culture and language immersion programs? All are welcome to ARTS Missoula’s community discussion on increasing our strategic city partnerships with our sister cities of Neckargemünd, Germany and Palmerston North, New Zealand.

• Advocacy day: learn about policies affecting refugees:

  • Friday, September 21st, 12:00-2:00 pm @ Imagine Nation Brewing

  • Join the the International Rescue Committee to advocate for refugees! Currently, refugee arrivals in the U.S. are at their lowest levels in the history of the U.S. resettlement program. With new refugee admission numbers being decided by October 1st, your voice can make a big difference. Come call your Senator with us and discover more information about resettlement in the U.S.

• Eritrean Coffee Ceremony:

  • Saturday, September 22nd, 9:00-11:00 am @ Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

  • Join Soft Landing to celebrate Missoula’s Eritrean community at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church for a traditional coffee ceremony, where green coffee beans are hand-roasted, ground, and brewed into strong and delicious coffee. Enjoy a delicious cup with traditional Himbasha bread, sitting in front of a traditional serving table. Admission is free with a suggested donation to benefit the participating families. Drop by anytime between 9:00-11:00 am!

• A friendly soccer match: Congo vs Eritrea:

  • Sunday, September 23rd, 4:30 pm @ Playfair Fields

  • Soccer teams from two of Missoula’s refugee communities kick off our final Welcoming Week event with a friendly soccer match! Head down to Playfair Park to watch the game, enjoy great company, and mingle with neighbors- new and old. After the game, bring a dish or treat to share and join us for a delicious potluck at 6:00 pm hosted by the Missoula Alliance Church to celebrate the end of Welcoming Week 2018.